The news

The digital environment of the Tour de France is constantly extending to more media. To follow the 2014 edition, the set-up includes several new devices and especially a «social corner» and a refurbished mobile application.

The Tour de France completed its final preparation ahead of stage 1 in Leeds the same day the «Tour de France à la voile» (sailing) held its prologue across the English Channel in Dunkirk. The race will start without Michael Matthews who has been replaced by Christian Meier. 198 riders will hunt for the yellow jersey that will be presented to the winner in Harrogate by the Duchess of Cambridge. Kate along with her husband Prince William will attend the Tour de France in...

Marcel Kittel of Giant-Shimano and Norwegian sprinters are expected to contest the second Arctic Race of Norway from August 14 to 17 with an unprecedented stage finish at the North Cape even though a tougher course might favor a different type of rider, as the organizers unveiled on the eve of the Grand Départ of the Tour de France in Leeds.

All eyes are on Mark Cavendish ahead of stage 1 for two reasons: with twenty-five wins, he's the record holder of Tour de France stage victories among the contemporary pro cyclists and he's the local hero as the race will finish in Harrogate where his mother Adele hails from. But he looks at the Tour beyond the inaugural stage just like Chris Froome and Team Sky who ride as defending champions on home soil. They could feel the pressure as they were introduced to almost 12.000 fans in the...

TV viewers will feel like being in the middle of the peloton of the Tour de France with revamped graphics, improved air relay and on-board cameras on bicycles this year. The race will be even better to watch!

Andy Schleck missed the 2012 Tour de France. Last year, his brother Fränk was sidelined and Fabian Cancellara opted for a different race program but the trio that once was the world's super power is reunited in Leeds under the banner of Trek Factory Racing that just announced the arrival of Samsung as a sub-sponsor.

In the run-up to 4th July, letour.fr will be analysing 5 key stages on the route of the 2014 edition. Of symbolic importance in the development of the race or perhaps decisive with regard to the final general individual classification, they possess the required characteristics for an exceptional sporting show. Only one time trial is scheduled this year, on the penultimate day of racing, meaning that stage 20 might impact the final result tremendously.

The 198 riders selected by the 22 teams have made their way to Yorkshire for the Grand Départ of the 101st Tour de France as they are expected to ride from the University of Leeds to Leeds Arena to be introduced to the public on Thursday. Defending champion Chris Froome of Team Sky and 25-time Tour de France stage winner Mark Cavendish from Omega Pharma-Quick Step are expected to be warmly welcomed by the crowd.

After completing the 2012 Vuelta a España, Ji Cheng is the first Chinese cyclist to line up at the Tour de France. He's set to prepare the sprints for Marcel Kittel and John Degenkolb at Giant-Shimano. He'll celebrate his 27th birthday during the first rest day on July 15 in Besançon.

In the run-up to 4th July, letour.fr will be analysing 5 key stages on the route of the 2014 edition. Of symbolic importance in the development of the race or perhaps decisive with regard to the final general individual classification, they possess the required characteristics for an exceptional sporting show. The shortest of the three Pyrenean stages, from Saint-Gaudens to Saint-Lary-Soulan, can shake up the classification. Alberto Contador is likely to strike there.

In the run-up to 4th July, letour.fr will be analysing 5 key stages on the route of the 2014 edition. Of symbolic importance in the development of the race or perhaps decisive with regard to the final general individual classification, they possess the required characteristics for an exceptional sporting show. The return to the Planche des Belles Filles, after a memorable first visit in 2012, promises a battle between the best climbers in the pack. Chris Froome has already taken his...

With a mere twelve days to go before the Grand Départ of the Tour de France, the excitement in England surrounding the Grande Boucle is already palpable. Stretching along the whole route from Yorkshire to Cambridge, momentum is steadily building. In London and Harrogate, the four Fan Parks are busily preparing for fans of the Tour and the world of cycling to descend upon them in their droves. With a range of activities on offer and big screens set up especially for the occasion, they will...

In the run-up to 4th July, letour.fr will be analysing 5 key stages on the route of the 2014 edition. Of symbolic importance in the development of the race or perhaps decisive with regard to the final general individual classification, they possess the required characteristics for an exceptional sporting show. The day after its return to mainland Europe, the Tour de France pack will be tackling the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix, which will be of particular interest to Fabian Cancellara.

Several days before the anniversary of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, an event which triggered the conflicts that led to the First World War, a pack of more than 2,000 cyclists (including 140 professionals) from all over the Balkans converged on Eastern Sarajevo to ride to Sarajevo.

In the run-up to 4th July, letour.fr will be analysing 5 key stages on the route of the 2014 edition. Of symbolic importance in the development of the race or perhaps decisive with regard to the final general individual classification, they possess the required characteristics for an exceptional sporting show. On the very first day, Mark Cavendish will have the opportunity to experience a consecrating moment in his career.

As part of the commemorations for the centenary of the First World War, Jean-Etienne Amaury and Christian Prudhomme were received by the French Ministry of Defence to sign an agreement with Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister of Defence, and Joseph Zimet, the General Manager of the French First World War Centenary commemorations. The route of the Tour de France 2014, which sponsors the Sarajevo Grand Prix, was drawn up with the desire to pay tribute to the soldiers of the Great War.

The 28 projects set up by local authorities and organisations for the 2013 Fête du Tour attracted thousands of participants. This weekend, with just over a month left until the Grande Boucle, the world of cycling is set to repeat the popular success of the first edition, making stage cities dance to the beat of the Tour and creating a friendly atmosphere to celebrate cycling in all shapes and colours along the route of the 2014 Tour de France. The red carpet will be rolled out for the...

The Tour de France organisers seized the opportunity provided by the third edition of the World Ports Classic to unveil new details about the course of the 2015 edition. The bunch will roll out of Utrecht the day after the opening time trial and race to the sea!

Londoners flocked to the 2013 Tour de France Fan Park to watch Chris Froome power his way to a famous victory in the 100th edition of the Tour de France. In 2014, the Fan Parks, presented by Nuffield Health, crank things up a notch with five events allowing the crowds to follow the English stages and the last days of the Tour, in a fantastic environment, soaking up the atmosphere of the Tour.

With Leeds, Harrogate, York and Sheffield as stage cities in the 2014 Tour, Yorkshire is making a big entrance in the world of cycling. And it will stay there for a while with a new three-day race that will reunite the peloton in the Spring of 2015.

The countdown has begun for the county of Yorkshire, whose annual cultural festival has started 100 days before the start of the Tour de France in Leeds. In the entire region, and even right down to London, references to the Big Loop are starting to make their appearance in increasing numbers...

Women are the stars on March 8... It will be very much the same when the elite of ladies' cycling comes together in Paris on July 27 for the inaugural edition of La Course by le Tour de France, a race which follows the course of the final circuit of the last stage of the Tour, right in the historical heart of the French capital. The Arc de Triomphe, the quays of the Seine, Rue de Rivoli and the finishing straight on the Champs-Élysées will all feature on the menu of what promises to...

Coinciding with the final stage of the 2014 Tour de France, the elite of women's cycling will come together on July 27th for the first edition of La Course by Le Tour de France. The event is destined to become an iconic race in the women's calendar.

In 2015, the Netherlands will host the Grand Start of the Tour de France for the sixth time. Utrecht, one of the cities which have done the most to foster a cycling culture will be the meeting point for the riders and fans to celebrate cycling in all its dimensions. The festivities started this morning at the residence of the Dutch ambassador to France in Paris. Bernard Hinault, Jan Janssen and Joop Zoetemelk, some of the distinguished guests in attendance, then hopped onto a Thalys painted...

Back in 1954, Amsterdam set the scene for the Tour de France's first start abroad. Scheveningen (1973), Leiden (1978), 's-Hertogenbosch (1996) and, most recently, Rotterdam (2010) have since lived the Tour experience too. The upcoming 2015 edition will be the sixth time the peloton sets off from the Netherlands.

In front of more than 4,000 spectators, including some who are pretenders for victory, the route for the Tour de France 2014 was unveiled at the Palais des Congrès in Paris. From the county of Yorkshire to the Champs-Elysées, the 101th edition could be won or lost at many different points: the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix will have a part to play, as will the high altitude finishes in the Pyrenees or the sole time-trial at Périgueux, but the Vosges Mountains could also lead to an...

The leading lights of the 2014 Tour de France, including Chris Froome, Peter Sagan and Marcel Kittel, will be in Japan from October 25 to explore Saitama. They will be in their element when meeting local journalists, but not so much when they come up against sumo wrestlers for introductory lessons! They will be back in their comfort zone the day after, when they hop onto their bicycles for quite a few laps of the city circuit. Race director Jean-François Pescheux goes into the details of...

With less than ten days to go until the official unveiling of the 2014 Tour route, speculation about what the 101th edition will look like is rife. Whether they love flat roads or excel in the mountains, all the champions will keep an eye on the Palais des Congrès in Paris on October 23.

The first edition of the Saitama Criterium by Le Tour de France will bring together the key riders of the 2013 Tour, starting with its clear winner, Chris Froome, plus green jersey Peter Sagan and the new king of sprint, Marcel Kittel. The Mayor of Saitama has welcomed several journalists to Tokyo to inform them about the competition and has some surprises up his sleeve for the coming months...

Mercurial Kisso Kawamuro may have been the first Japanese rider on the roads of the Tour de France (failing to even finish the first stage in both 1926 and 1927), but Yukiya Arashiro and Fumiyuki Beppu became the first ones to finish the Tour in 2009. This year round, they have been the first to throw their hats into the ring for the Saitama Criterium by Le Tour de France, the last race of the season for them. They are proud to welcome the world's elite to their country and burning with the...

Chris Froome, the first Tour winner born in Africa, triumphed in a race that also saw the first African wearer of the Yellow Jersey, Daryl Impey. The internationalisation of the event was also evidenced by Colombia's breakthrough in the figure of Nairo Quintana, and was confirmed on a larger scale through a new generation of cyclists, in the riders who fought for the title and the circle of sprinters.